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Dear Piano Teachers...When meeting new people, usually people ask what is your occupation, hobby etc trying to get to know each other. I encounter plenty of people asking me if I have a part time job when they know I am a piano teacher.I wonder if you encounter the same thing as me. Is it normal to ask a piano teacher if they have part time job? I mean, we seldom ask if a dentist or a doctor has a part time job, but I got this 90% of the time, new friends asking me if I have a part time job.....

I had someone ask me a couple of years ago whether I "work during the day". I said yes I start at 12:30 pm, but that most people want a later lesson. Afterwards I realized she wanted to know what ELSE I did for a living. No one has asked lately...since my studio has grown.

Another edit: Now that I think of it I have not met anyone the last few years except piano students, their parents and piano teachers. My lack of a social life explains why I haven't been asked about this topic lately.

I've heard the question asked many different ways. Perhaps the most exasperating statement is (all too common): "But what do you do for a living?"

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"Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn." -- Richard Henry DannFull-time Private Piano Teacher offering Piano Lessons in Olympia, WA. www.mypianoteacher.comCertified by the American College of Musicians; member NGPT, MTNA, WSMTA, OMTA

I teach part time too, about 20 to 30 hours per week. But teaching piano is not my part time job, and I do not have another part time job to support myself, and I do not have a spouse that support me either.

When the initial question comes of "What do you do for a living?" I used to respond "teach piano", but realized that can be interpreted as showing up once in a while to teach a lesson. The level of time and commitment is unclear. I've since described my occupation as "I run a piano-teaching business" or "I own a piano studio". It sounds so much more full-time, and takes into account that I do all the paper-work, billing, ordering, inventory, scheduling, marketing etc. etc. The next questions usually is "how many students do you have?" And when I tell them over 30, they quickly assume that I indeed do this full time.

While those are good answers, the questions show disrespect. Would you ask a dr or dentist how many patients they have? Ditto other professions. If you are searching for a teacher, it's another matter, but we're not discussing this, are we?

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"Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn." -- Richard Henry DannFull-time Private Piano Teacher offering Piano Lessons in Olympia, WA. www.mypianoteacher.comCertified by the American College of Musicians; member NGPT, MTNA, WSMTA, OMTA

When the initial question comes of "What do you do for a living?" I used to respond "teach piano", but realized that can be interpreted as showing up once in a while to teach a lesson. The level of time and commitment is unclear. I've since described my occupation as "I run a piano-teaching business" or "I own a piano studio". It sounds so much more full-time, and takes into account that I do all the paper-work, billing, ordering, inventory, scheduling, marketing etc. etc. The next questions usually is "how many students do you have?" And when I tell them over 30, they quickly assume that I indeed do this full time.

I, too, tell them that "I own a piano studio". I play as a professional musician on the weekends, and people sometimes assume that all I do is play in a band. I tell them that I teach full-time, in addition to the band.

Obviously part of the time people are being direspectful (jealous?) but I don't think ALL of those who ask these questions are being intentionally disrespectful. Sometimes they really just don't know! It's like assuming that all doctors are wealthy.

Right now, I work a full time day job and I'm taking my sweet time with building up my piano studio. I do take it VERY seriously. When people ask what I do, I tell them about my day job and then state that I also have my own piano teaching business. When I only say "I teach piano" or "teaching piano" lessons minus the business vocabulary, it's often assumed that this is a cute little hobby of mine.

If I ask someone who is a musician/artist if they do their thing "full time" it's because I'm genuinely curious and would want to ask them questions about how they make it work and how they like it so I can better prepare myself for my future I imagine I get starry eyes because the successfully self employed are impressive to me.